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Press Releases

New Legal Memorandum Debunks Arguments Proffered By Religious Right Group Alliance Defending Freedom

Dec 1, 2014

People who work for the government have no legal right to refuse services to same-sex couples in states where marriage equality is the law, Americans United for Separation of Church and State says in a legal memorandum released today.Read more

An Oklahoma school district has decided not to implement a Bible curriculum designed by Steve Green, owner of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, that critics said was biased in favor of fundamentalist Christianity.

Earlier this year, Americans United warned Mustang Public Schools officials that the curriculum was problematic and its use in schools might spark litigation.

A federal appeals court ruling upholding bans on same-sex marriage in four states is misguided and should be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in DeBoer v. Snyder and related challenges that bans on same-sex marriage in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan may stand. The ruling clashes with decisions by several other appeals courts, which have invalidated such bans. Read more

Church-State Watchdog Group Calls On IRS To Enforce ‘No-Politicking’ Rule

Religious Right activists are bragging about their success in the 2014 mid-term elections, but there’s one thing they’re not telling the American people: Increasingly, their strategy relies on convincing houses of worship to violate federal law.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today noted that groups like the Faith & Freedom Coalition, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Family Association and others urged houses of worship to distribute “voter guides” in houses of worship prior to the election.

Officials in Florida may not ban the Satanic Temple’s holiday display at the State Capitol in Tallahassee simply because they find it offensive, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

In a letter to the Florida Department of Management Services sent today, Americans United warns officials that they must not repeat a decision from 2013 that excluded the Satanic Temple from the rotunda of the State Capitol.Read more

Houses of worship should obey federal tax law and stay out of partisan politics during election season, Americans United for Separation of Church and State says.

Americans United has sent more than 84,000 letters to clergy across the country to remind them that federal law prohibits tax-exempt entities, such as houses of worship, from endorsing candidates for public office.Read more

A journalist who exposed the Religious Right’s efforts to infiltrate America’s public schools and a Mississippi student who bravely challenged unlawful religious activity at her public high school will be recognized by Americans United for Separation of Church and State on Nov. 10.

Katherine Stewart, author of The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children, will receive Americans United’s Person of the Year Award. Read more

Law Regarding ‘Desecration Of A Venerated Object’ Conflicts With First Amendment, Church-State Watchdog Says

Sep 22, 2014

Bedford County, Pa., must not prosecute a teenager for “desecration of a venerated object” even though he simulated a sex act with a statue of Jesus, Americans United for Separation of Church and State says.Read more